The department on Monday said Texas did not meet its burden under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and failed to show that the law will not discriminate against minority voters.

According to the state's data, a Hispanic registered voter is much more likely than a non-Hispanic registered voter to lack the required identification, according to the Justice Department. (Read how the law could shave the voter rolls here.)

The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature passed voter ID legislation last year, and critics said the measure would make it more difficult for at least 1,000,000 eligible Texas voters to vote.

The legislation requires voters to show picture identification in order to vote. The law requires a Texas driver's license or Department of Public Safety identification card. The law allowed concealed handgun licenses to be used instead of a driver's license but not student ID cards from Texas colleges and universities.

"I thank the Justice Department for standing up for voting rights," said Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston. "Throughout the preclearance process, Texas consistently failed to produce information showing the law would not have a discriminatory impact on minority voters. The Voting Rights Act exists for this exact purpose: protecting the ability of all Americans to access the ballot box."

Texas has sued in an effort to get courts to approve the controversial law.